Improvement in peat-elevators



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN JAMES HULBERT AND AIME NICHOLAS NAPOLEON AUBIN, OF PORT LAND,CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO THE AUBIN FEAT-FUEL AND MACHINE COMPANY OFCONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PEAT-FUEL COM- PANY OF NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN P'EAT-ELEVATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,634, dated August1, 1871.

I a rectilineal reciprocating motion for the purpose of preventing theadhesion of the crude peat to the blades composing the screw, andtherefore to secure its propulsion and consequent elevation.

Figure l is a perspective view of the elevator.

Fig. 2 is an end view'of the screw and combs.

Fig. 3 is a side view of theworking parts of the elevator.

A A A A, an oblong box, in which the screw is placed, and upon the upperedges of which the combs are supported and slide up and down, being keptin position by the cross-bars a a At the upper end of the bottom of thebox an opening is left, through which the elevated peat falls into thegrinding apparatus, as seen at (o The box is held in an inclinedposition at an angle varying with the height to which the material hasto be delivered. 13 B is the screw. It is composed of a shaft, uponwhich is fixed a number of pairs of blades, 11 b placed spirally, sothat each pair forms a nearly complete turn of the screw. Between eachof the blades are left two spaces, 11 for the passage-of the teeth ofthe comb in their forward and backward motion. These spaces must,therefore, occur in a straight line and upon two opposite sides of theshaft. At the upper end of the shaft two cam-grooves, I) If, are cut ina diagonal position to the plane of the axis of revolution. Thesecam-grooves are slanting in two contrary directions, so that on one sideof the shaft they comenearer to each other, and on the opposite sidetheir distance is greatest. These grooves, by their rotation, cause thetwo combs to move forward and backward,

what we call the combs. They consist in two bars, 0 (Z, to which areattached the cleaningteeth 0 c c c d d d d and the driving-teeth 65There are as many cleaning-teeth as there are blades on the screw, andeachcomb cleans the blades on one side of the shaft. In Fig. 3 one setof teeth forming one comb is shaded, so as to distinguish it from theother. E, crank to rotate the screw. It can be replaced by a drum, by atoothed wheel, or by a universal joint, so as to permit any requiredchange in the inclination of the elevator.

Peat in its crude state, when just drawn from the bog, is more or lessadhesive, and the use of a screw to move it forward and elevate it wouldbe unavailable, as the material collecting around the blades wouldrevolve with them and soon transform the screw into a cylinder. Thecombs, traveling backward and forward in the direction of the length ofthe shaft, are so arranged that each set of teeth moves forward at thesame velocity as would be dueto the pitch of the blades, and followtheir upward surface, While one set of blades is passing under the comb.Each set again travels backward during the time occupied by the bladesin completing the other half of their revolution. This double alternatemovement is caused by the inclination of the camother until it reachesthe aperture, through which it falls.

This arrangement permits the easy cleaning of the blades, on the ends ofwhich small roots acciprocating combs O D, the whole constructedcumulate. By occasionally reversing the screw and operatingsubstantially as described.

these roots are detached by the teeth and thrown EDWIN JAMES HULBERT.into the moving mass of material. N. AUBIN.

Vhat We claim as our invention is Witnesses:

The instrument for elevating crude peat here- WM. W. (30E in described,consisting of a series of propelling GEO. S. HILLIARD,

screw-blades, N, in combination with the re FRANCES G. HULBERT.

